Obesity is a major public health problem in the United States and western countries and is associated with cardiovascular, endocrine and musculoskeletal disorders in humans. One cause of obesity is the accumulation of lipid material in adipocytes and this accumulation is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Currently, no treatment for obesity exists that directly targets and eliminates adipocytes. Existing treatments for obesity rely on diet to reduce caloric intake and fat accumulation in adipocytes, drugs that reduce appetite, or exercise programs that accelerate metabolic rate. As the failure rate of current treatments is high, it is desirable to identify new ways of treating obesity.